Steve M

Yes. But maybe it's because I live/operate in a mostly rural area. Younger buyers, however, are less likely to pay for a hard-copy color report.

1) Amazon hurts small business, and even the ones who use Amazon get charged a 15% commission. So while the deals may seem great, they really aren't. 2) Amazon has the most horrible delivery services available (outside of FedEx) in my opinion. The only place it was even remotely OK, was when I lived in the city, but everywhere else... terrible, they can't follow directions and they certainly don't know how to read street signs - if it ain't on the GPS it doesn't exist, and if the GPS says it's across the street, then it's across the street (even if it's a vacant lot) regardless of what the address numbers on your house say! 3) No wonder the drivers are terrible - that's how the company treats them! https://www.businessinsider.com/why-i-refuse-to-shop-on-amazon-2019-10?op=1#lastly-amazon-reportedly-does-not-treat-its-delivery-drivers-well-and-i-dont-want-to-support-a-company-with-that-record-7 4) Speaking of exploiting workers: NBC News reports: “Amazon illegally arranged for a U.S. Postal Service mailbox to be installed in the fulfillment center parking lot during the election. The union alleged that it gave the impression that Amazon might have had access to the secret ballots cast by workers.” 5) Sticking with the worker issues theme: Recent research by the Strategic Organizing Center found that injury rates at Amazon facilities are reportedly double that of the industry average. And, Amazon workers sustained more than 24,000 serious injuries in 2020. 6) Creates excessive packaging waste: A report from Oceana found that in 2019, Amazon generated 465 million pounds of plastic waste. This is “enough to circle the earth over a hundred times in the form of air pillows.” 7) Amazon lost it's "price fixing" lawsuit and the AG of Washington state was instrumental in getting a judgement of more than $2m and a permanent cessation of the scheme. 8 ) The HQ2 deal cost Virginia taxpayers between $2.5b and $4.6b in tax subsidies despite the fact the company is worth over $1 trillion dollars! I could go on, but I think everyone gets the idea... Amazon is a behemoth that takes advantage of, and will destroy, any small business that doesn't manage to get out of its way, take advantage of taxpayers, workers, and yes, even the consumers that make up its customer base... never mind the hypocrisy. Just to be clear, I'm not a "tree hugger" in the political sense, but I DO engage in environmentally friendly practices whenever and wherever possible, if/where that makes sense, as I am an outdoorsy kinda guy and value the beauty of nature and our planet in general. But that doesn't mean I'm on board with all the climate change hoaxsters around the planet trying to grift off of that political scam.

I'll 7th the B&H Photo as I've purchased a fair amount of camera gear from them over the years. I sometimes buy from Adorama as well, and I have also purchased two Nikons from Roberts Camera in Indiana. I won't buy anywhere else, unless I happen to stumble onto a (local) brick and mortar that I don't know about. Nothing beats a showroom sales experience from a professional camera shop... in my opinion. Especially when you're looking at something totally new to the market or your own gear bag. As others have suggested, the danger in buying camera gear from marketplaces and other unknowns is not only the gray market stuff that isn't legit (and you cannot get it serviced or get updates or downloads for the software), but you may get a camera that was intended for a different foreign market altogether AND you won't be able to change the menu language. Sony is one of those cameras - so if you buy a Sony gray market that was originally manufactured for sale in Japan, for instance, it will have a Japanese ONLY menu - and that cannot be changed.

I would have to second that Streamlight choice. Maybe it's a carryover from my law enforcement days, but Streamlight has been the most dependable flashlights I've ever owned. I have a Stinger and a ProTac HL. The charger recently went out on my Stinger (purchased in 2011) and my only complaint about the ProTac (purchased at the same time) is if the inspection is long - you will probably need a spare set of CR123A batteries. I also like the Pelican 1920... it's more of a penlight, but it's plenty bright for tight spots, but not overly bright. I love the Pelican light, I just wish I could keep from losing them all the time. Speaking of batteries, I've had pretty good luck with Tenergy rechargeable batteries. I've been using Tenergy Premiums (white body with blue lettering) and their Premium Pro series (black body with gold lettering). I'm still using all of the Tenergy premiums that I purchased about 6 or 7 years ago. I have no idea how many charge cycles they have on them.

I think that Milwaukee is an "M4" unit... haven't seen one tho.

Little Giant's King Combo 2.0 might work for you. Not sure about availability but you could try Lowe's. The Model 6 Fiberglass Industrial (13906-071) is 27lbs at ~73inches stored (type IAA - 375lbs) The Model 6 Aluminum Professional (14906-001) is 21.5lbs at ~73 inches stored (Type IA - 300lbs)

I still think we're comparing apples and oranges as it relates to type and material - they're both fruit (apples oranges) just as the ladders in question are substantially different in noticeable ways (they're both ladders but they don't carry the same weight and one will certainly get you electrocuted if it contacts live overhead feeds while the other won't, etc)... so yeah, apples and oranges, but they're both ladders. It really is ok that we disagree, or at least it should be. None of the 16ft to 28ft extensions ladders we spoke of will fit IN the OPs vehicle anyway.

I closed my account at Amazon almost 2 years ago... so sorry, I don't want to spend my money there either.

I couldn't find a better place to ask this question... Is there a better place for purchasing office supplies and equipment other than Office Depot, OfficeMax (now office depot?), and Staples? I used to love these places but they have changed, for the worse, and I'm sick and tired of spending my money with places that I don't view as good solid American First companies. This quarter I'm looking at purchasing a new simple desk (my roll-top just isn't a good fit anymore), an HP Color Laserjet Multi-Function Printer (no wireless) - I will be offering color printed reports in addition to downloadable PDFs (for a fee of course - and I've already provided 2 with an inkjet - and I'm only just getting started), and a micro crosscut shredder that can handle cds, staples, c-cards, etc. I look forward to interesting positive resources as well as an interesting discussion...

What sort of borescope do you have Charlie?

Can't compare apples to apples if oranges are being tossed onto the field... So are you using Type III ladders?

Thanks Bill... I did look into those Werner ladders... the Werner 16ft is 31lbs (LG Fiberglass is 28lbs)... the 24ft is 45lbs (LG Fiberglass is 42lbs), the 28ft Werner is 56lbs (LG Fiberglass is 50lbs), and The Werner 32ft is 68lbs and the LG is 61lbs. Something that I didn't know until I looked at the differences is that LG is using "Maximum Reach Height" based on some ANSI standard - so the Werner's might actually be longer than the LG ladders. Ultimately, they're pretty close for most sizes, but in my mind, shaving off even a little bit of that carry weight is probably worth it. Which means I'm still sold on the LG at this point. Something else when doing this comparison though, the LG are fiberglass, have a lifetime limited warranty, and the bright green I consider to be a safety feature. As for Werner, definitely a top tier brand for a reason - and they do have a lot of safety add-ons available for their ladders - but I can't find any information about their warranty. Incidentally I do have a Werner fiberglass Type I 6ft step ladder. It's been a great ladder, don't get me wrong, but I'm trying to be as lightweight as I can be. Oh, I did discover that LG's Conquest 2.0 multi-ladder (I don't know how new it is) can reach the same distance as the 16ft at 7lbs more in weight, plus you get the flexibility of the multi-ladder if that's needed. I think the Werner M17 aluminum multi-ladder was a touch lighter though. Again, thanks for the info, it kinda pushed me to do a little more research... and if price becomes an issue for me, the Werner will definitely win on that count.

That swale suggestion by Marc coupled with a solid gutter system connected to an underground yard drain are probably going to be your best option based on the limited information those photos provide. Obviously with a yard drain the issue is where to dump the water, and without having a first-hand view of the property, this is all speculation. Should you opt for a yard drain, make sure the pop-up emitter contains a 12" diameter turf restrictor plate at the surface - it does wonders in preventing the grass from growing over the emitter and impeding its performance. There should also be at least 1 inline catch basin in EACH underground run (since you have a shingled roof). I typically like to see these located in all systems somewhere at 10-15 ft from the house, removable grates are usually the best "cover" option but solid covers work as well, both should have turf restrictor plates to keep grass from growing over them. The grates provide a great visual "indicator" to monitor performance as well as maintenance use and ventilation. Where the downspouts meet the corrugated pipe entering the ground, there should be a Wye fitting with a grated cover, or if you have a lot of leaves, you can install a downspout clean-out with filter to facilitate easy maintenance (see photo below). The Wye or (DCF) not only provides maintenance access, without disturbing the above ground gutter components, it also provides an "air gap" as well as an emergency overflow in case the drain gets clogged for some reason. What you don't want, and what I have a seen a lot of, is a major separation from your downspout and the underground drain components. Those surface grates typically installed 2 or more inches just below the downspout usually get clogged with debris, ultimately turning the immediate area into a pool from the runoff coming out of the downspout and defeating the whole purpose of the drain. Velocity is your friend when it comes to maintenance, the faster you can allow the runoff from the roof to get to its discharge destination, the cleaner your system will remain, so if you can go with a 3" pipe, that usually works well. One more thing, don't use the black corrugated pipe from the big box stores and absolutely do not use PVC or SDR35 pipe underground for this type of system, there are locations in the system where they may be useful (such as providing for a freeze drain before the emitter, knife cut corrugated does a better job in my opinion, but you want the flex of the corrugated as much as possible. And that corrugated should be virgin pipe. The black pipe from the BB stores is always "regrind" which might last 10 or 15 years underground, but it is subject to rapid deterioration because it is recycled and contains "binders" to keep everything together - the binders are the problem as they breakdown, even underground. A virgin corrugated pipe can last up to 500 years underground and will almost certainly last a minimum of 100 years if installed correctly. These are the Downspout Clean-outs (with Filter) (DCF) connectors that I use to connect the downspout to the drain... You may find something similar, as long it still provides access to the drain itself to run an inspection camera or a hydro-jet should the system become clogged for some reason, such as an animal getting trapped in the system, usually because of an emitter fault - which could be caused by excessively high grass - especially without a turf restrictor, or some child removing a grate or cap and stuffing it with debris. IF you run into a contractor that uses recycled corrugated (I believe all of the big box stuff is recycled), or believes there MUST be a turf grate under the downspout (to satisfy the air gap requirement)... WALK AWAY and find another contractor, because while they may have been doing this for 40 years, they aren't keeping current with the science behind the design or construction of these systems - and any project they do for you has an expiration date attached to the system before the first piece of sod is ever cut (many don't do this) or the first shovel of dirt is ever moved. So a couple of quick things to look for: 1) There is almost never a place in an underground downspout that you want a T fitting - Wye fittings (or combis) should be the only connector installed underground, to facilitate water flow, unless there is a need for a catch basin (because you have a shingled roof). 2) Use 3in corrugated if you can (not always available) especially in a yard such as yours where it does not appear you have a good slope. If the corrugated is yellow or blue, it is definitely not recycled, if it is black, make sure it is not recycled. 3) The downspout connectors I presented above act as a vent to the system and facilitate keeping leaf debris out of the system. While there is a possibility that they may "overflow" (Ice or Debris usually) they are a crucial component as they don't get clogged very often, or may never get clogged depending on tree debris and climate. Just don't let the contractor use the air gap vent requirement to justify separating the downspout from the drain. If you do use a leaf deflector, make sure it doesn't spill out more water than passes into the drain line - that will defeat the purpose entirely. I've seen large and small, open-grated "leaf deflector" units that put a considerable amount of water right where they are located during severe storms, just the time you don't want that to happen. If you can't tell whether they keep the water flowing into the drain, better to just use a wye fitting with a grate cap on the side piece and check your clean-outs or catch basins regularly. Hope this helps. PS: I know this is a late response, but sometimes these projects can take awhile to put together for some folks. So I'm offering this reply in the event you haven't completed your project yet, or the results did not produce the desired outcome. I'm new to the forum here and consider drainage to be one of my specialties, so hopefully sharing some of that knowledge will help someone.

I have 3 ruptured discs, so carrying a ladder is something I have to be careful about, so less weight is more for me... Little Giant Hyper-lite ladders are the lightest in the industry I believe. Type IA (300lbs) 28lbs for a 16ft extension ladder (8ft 6in stored): https://www.littlegiantladders.com/products/hyperlite-tall-ladder?model=18720 And their King Combo is a type IAA (375lbs) weighing 17lbs at less than 5ft stored.(6.9ft max working length, 10ft max reach) https://www.littlegiantladders.com/products/king-kombo I love the hyper-lite ladder series from these folks.